Congratulations to the Hilton Garden Inn Rockaway team for winning the 2006 Community Service Award from Hilton Garden Inn.

HGIR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PAGE

GOOCH’S GARLIC RUN

The Blue Knight International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club is currently comprised of Law Enforcement Officers from 20 countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Belgium, Luxemborg, England, Holland and Germany.  Membership is approximately 20,000 members.  The Blue Knights were founded in November 1974 in Maine.  Our Chapter, New Jersey IX is located in Sparta, New Jersey and hosts about 175 members from local, county, state and federal agencies.  Currently, NJ IX is one of the largest chapters in the World.

New Jersey Chapter IX hosts many runs throughout the year including Gooch’s Garlic Run in June that benefits local children in need of medical treatment, as well as other motorcycle events. 

The Garlic Run started as a Wednesday night ride in the city for some good food in Little Italy.  Twenty years later it has exploded into the largest mid-week event on the east coast.

The Hilton Garden Inn Rockaway has been working in conjunction with the New Jersey Blue Knights Chapter IX since 2001.  Throughout the year the HGI Rockaway team does various fundraising efforts in support of the Garlic Run to help raise money for the cause including car washes, yard sales, and various fundraising efforts.  The HGI Rockaway is the only purveyor of food during bike registration on the day of the event – in 2006 we teamed up with Picnics Unlimited to help raise over $10,000 in one day!  On the day of the Garlic Run, the Hilton Garden Inn Rockaway also hosts each of the families, allowing them use of the hotel, as well as provide them with snacks and beverages to help them better handle the summer sun!

Click here for additional information on the Blue Knights NJ Chapter IX or the next Gooch’s Garlic Run.

SAINT CLARE’S ANNUAL WALK
FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

400 members of the community, regional corporations, community leaders, and staff of Saint Clare’s Health System, raised $75,000 at the Fifth Annual Saint Clare’s Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness which was hosted by the Hilton Garden Inn Rockaway.

At this year's event, Saint Clare's presented the First Annual Mary Mulholland Spirit Award, recognizing outstanding volunteer leadership in support of Saint Clare's Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness. The award was presented to its namesake, Mary Mulholland.

The walk, which benefits The Women’s Health Center at Saint Clare’s Hospital/Dover, takes place just prior to the start of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. The 2007 Walk will be held on Sunday, September 16, once again at the Hilton Garden Inn Rockaway.

Click here for additional information on the Saint Clare’s Annual Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness.

DENNIS B. O’BRIEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
GARDEN PROJECT

For the third year in a row, the Hilton Garden Inn in Rockaway Sales Team joined forces with the Dennis B. O’Brien Elementary School in a school beautification project. Together we planted string beans, pumpkins, tomatoes and an assortment of other flowers. The Hilton Garden Inn provided the school with a complete gardening kit including seeds, plants, tools, and horticultural supplies.  Shortly before the spring break, students from Mrs. Basista’s third grade class germinated the seeds in preparation for planting. The children watered the seeds, measured their growth, and created mini-greenhouses to protect the budding vegetables. While nurturing the seeds, they discussed the parts of a plant and estimated how long it would take their seeds to germinate and how many they would eventually be able to plant. “This hands-on project was a great way for the children to experience science and math. Since my class participated in the planting last year, they even incorporated language arts into the project.  After last year’s harvest, the children enjoyed a salad of peppers, zucchini, parsley, lettuce and tomatoes. Mrs. Basista said one of her students approached her after eating the salad and said, “You have to write my mom a note and tell her I ate all these vegetables. She won’t believe it!”

Principal Wilson told the third graders and representatives from the Hilton Garden Inn, “This is a great way for the school and the community to work together. The kids really love it!” Mrs. Basista confirmed his assessment saying, “This program gives the students a chance to try things they might not have done before such as weeding and harvesting vegetables.” She reported that some of her students had never tried some of the vegetables that the group harvested from last year. They were pleasantly surprised to discover how many different vegetables they really did enjoy eating. 

For their part, the Hilton Garden Inn was happy to be a part of this school and community venture. Director of Sales, Jon Schorr who was on hand for the planting said, “Projects such as these are the kinds of activities that children remember for a lifetime.”

In addition to the organizations described above, the Hilton Garden Inn Rockaway team proudly supports the Rockaway Township Police Department as well as the Simon Youth Foundation.

For additional information on any of the Community Involvement efforts that the team at the Hilton Garden Inn Rockaway supports, please feel free to contact Marc Rothstein, General Manager at 973-328-2500.•   •   •